Anne Buck

The following paper on Anne Buck, OBE, born 14 May 1910, died 12 May 2005, was given at the Women in the Heritage day on 4 April 2008 by our Fellow Ann Saunders.

Anne’s background was not a privileged one.  Her parents kept a small grocer’s shop in Harpenden and, when she was old enough, she served in the shop and learnt how to sort and arrange and weigh and measure the goods – an excellent training in classification.  Her parents were Spartan in their habits, hard-working and severe, her father never forgetting any slight or small act of non-cooperation whether real or imaginary, and keeping a record of them all.  But he was also an enthusiastic local historian, and the shop, with its flap in the counter and its spice drawers, is now on view in Luton Museum.

Anne had a place in St Alban’s High School where she received an excellent education, and won a scholarship to Bedford College to read English.  She acted as Senior Student in the college hostel in Dorset Square and attended a different church every Sunday, though beautiful St Cyprian’s in Glentworth Street was always her favourite.  In her mind, she was always questing for the right thing for her to do, the proper endeavour to which to apply her considerable energies.

She found employment with the Times Book Club where she learnt a great deal more about literature and reference material and about schemes of classification.  But the insolence of the subscribers, their haughtiness and condescension, their sheer bad manners, revolted her, and her political views veered sharply leftwards.  She sought other employment, in teaching or publishing but without success; she longed to enter the church, but that was denied to her since she was a woman.  Then, in 1938, her family heard that ‘a general dog’sbody’ was needed in Luton museum.  She applied, was appointed and in museum work found real fulfilment.  When the war came and the curator, Charles Freeman, left for the army, full responsibility became hers, and she built up in particular the collections of Bedfordshire lace and straw-plaiting, which was a Luton industry.

Manchester City Council bought the collection of clothing acquired by the Doctors Cunnington and need a curator.  Anne applied, got the post and became Keeper of the Gallery of English Costume at Platt Hall on the outskirts of the city.  That collection became her vision on the road to Damascus; the humanity of clothing, its universality, stretching from agriculture’s provision of materials, through industry in the production of fabrics, to the making and the wearing – the sum of human life was there, and she revelled in it.

She lectured widely, devised what remains the international classification scheme for the describing of clothing and always preached that the object, the garment itself, is paramount, though it must be set in its proper context.  Who wore it? When? Was it made for an occasion or for everyday use? What material was available? What financial constraints were there?  How skilful was the maker?  To her, a Manchester mill-girl’s red woollen shawl was at least as important as a grand lady’s formal Court dress; the shawls are probably rarer.  Whenever there was an opportunity she travelled in Scandinavia, studying particularly conservation techniques.

She returned in 1972, settling in Maulden in her beloved Bedfordshire, and there followed more than thirty years of activity.  By then, the Costume Society had been formed - she was a founder member and served as Chairman from 1974-80.  She also formed a close partnership with the Editor, reading, commenting and quite often ruthlessly rejecting material submitted  (the Editor did not always agree and occasionally decided that her own decision was final).  Scholars and enthusiasts came to Anne for advice; no one was turned away.  She lectured widely and produced two major books - Dress in Eighteenth Century England (Batsford, 1979) and Clothes and the Child (1996); the latter was published by her friend, Ruth Bean.

In 1971, Anne was awarded the OBE; no honour was ever more richly deserved.

The last eighteen months of her life were disturbed by falls and illnesses, but she retained her serenity to the end.